Lily mine operations to resume in November, buyer found

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources in South Africa has said that mining operations and the recovery of the bodies of three missing mine workers will resume in November 2018

Director-general of the department of mineral resources, Thabo Mokoena, told the committee said that an investor was in the process of buying the mine.

Last April, an accident at the mine, owned by gold miner Vantage Goldfields, left three workers buried alive after a pillar collapsed.

Many such incidents have prompted authorities to take notice of companies track record on mine safety.

Last month, Sibanye-Stillwater said that seven of the 13 mine workers trapped underground at its Masakhane mine, Driefontein operations passed away from injuries sustained during a seismic event.

By the end of March, 22 people had been killed in South Africa’s mines, according to the Department of Mineral Resources.

Last year, 88 people died in South Africa’s mines, higher than 2016, when 73 people lost their lives in incidents related to mine safety.

“Although sceptical, the committee believes that resumption of operation at the mine will not only bring closure to the families of the three missing workers, but will also bring about 600 workers back to work,” said Sahlulele Luzipo, the chairperson of the committee.

However, Luzipo said that there was a possibility that investors could leave the project without recovering the bodies of missing workers.